Regional development

Territorial Approach to Migrant Integration

The OECD launched the initiative “The need for a territorial approach to migrant integration: the role of local authorities” in partnership with the European Commission, to support local authorities’ efforts in receiving and integrating migrants and vulnerable migrant groups, including refugees.

“The local dimension is the core of both, the challenges and the solutions to address integration bottlenecks”(Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 2016).

Objectives

This project will illustrate how local authorities identify, implement and assess sustainable local solutions for migrants’ integration through effective multilevel governance. In close dialogue with their citizens, civil society organisations and business, local authorities are the best placed to develop a favourable environment for integration, as they contribute to creating equal rights and opportunities in all areas of life: education, labour, housing, health, culture, etc. They are in charge of 40% of public spending and 60% of public investment on average in OECD countries. This study identifies good practices and lessons learned with regard mainstreaming integration into local development policies as well as co-ordination mechanisms with national or regional authorities.

Outputs

A unique and optimal solution to address this complex issue does not exist. A Checklist for migrant integration in cities will be generated, based on the diagnosis of city policies cross-cutting questions for managing migrants and vulnerable migrants’ integration and suggestions will be provided to address them. The checklist and examples of practices, once agreed to by the participating cities and partner institutions, will be disseminated through international organisations, national and subnational policy makers including towards the formulation of the Global Compacts on Migrants and on Refugees. The final report including the main results of the work will be discussed in November/ December 2017 and published in 2018.

Events

Workshop on territorial approach to migrant integration: the role of local authorities (26 June 2017 - Berlin, Germany)

The meeting provided participants with the opportunity to:

Share cities’ practices in migrant integration: through the presentation of the key good practices and lessons learned highlighted in the nine case studies (Athens, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Glasgow, Gothenburg, Paris, Rome and Vienna)

Discuss of an OECD Checklist for public action to migrant integration at local level: A practical tool to help decision-makers integrating migrants, including vulnerable ones, with a multi-governance perspective. It provides practical examples linked to each city, drawn from OECD fieldwork. As such, it offers a potential platform for capacity-building, learning and exchange